


why can't i kiss you on the dance floor

by wittchers



Category: Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Light Angst, king of scars spoilers, they're both dumbasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wittchers/pseuds/wittchers
Summary: The night of the engagement party, and Nikolai's new bride was gone. Someone had to fill in her role.





	why can't i kiss you on the dance floor

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted to tumblr where I wrote this for a ball au prompt, hope you enjoy!
> 
> the title was taken from secret love song by little mix, which, I think, fits this perfectly

It was the night of the ball and Ehri was gone. They were celebrating the engagement, the alliance between Ravka and Shu Han, and Nikolai’s fiancé was missing. Nowhere to be found in the palace. It was just about right, Zoya noted with a hint of bitterness – everything that could go wrong in Ravka did.

But admitting they lost the Shu princess would have been disastrous for a number of political and social reasons, so while Nikolai chatted with guests and stalled the crowd, Zoya, Genya, David, and the Bataar twins scurried to find the runaway bride. And when that failed, as they knew it would, Genya gave Zoya a look that she desperately wished she didn’t understand.

It _was_ just about right.

So Zoya filled the role. Like a good dutiful soldier. And before Nikolai could run out of excuses for his missing bride, Zoya flitted in wearing her face and apologizing for the long wait.

Nikolai clearly did not buy the act, but it would have been worrying if he did. As long as the aristocrats and ambassadors fell for it, they would be fine. It was like putting a patch on a bullet wound, but for tonight, with no better options, it would do.

When Nikolai drew her to the dancefloor later to celebrate his engagement with the Shu princess that was decidedly not her, they finally had a moment to talk between themselves. He whispered in her ear, only for them to hear. “Zoya?”

“What do you think?” she snapped, too on edge from this impossible situation.

He winced, an apology written on his face – but it only made Zoya angrier. She didn’t want to hear it. When he opened his mouth, she barked at him, quietly but with vehemence, “Just shut up and look pretty.”

“Oh, you know I’m incapable of looking anything but.”

She gave him a glare and he smiled pleasantly, unbothered as he glanced around the ballroom. His indifference was almost insulting. “Maybe look a little more in love with me, yes?” Nikolai pulled her closer by the waist. “We must sell it, darling.”

Of course, this would have been pretending for him with Ehri as well, and Zoya wasn’t sure which was worse – this or watching that. She growled under her breath as she let him spin her around, ignoring the weight of his hand on her waist, the warmth of his chest almost pressed against hers, the smell of him that was so distinctly Nikolai. _Why was her heart beating so fast?_

The line between professionalism and personal feelings were beginning to blur.

“I hate this with every fiber of my being,” she informed him, just for good measure.

“I’m aware.”

But he sounded so careless, so diplomatic, almost amused at her frustration, that she had the urge to kick him in the shin.

“This is only temporary,” she warned him.

“I know,” he nodded, a little more serious, a tinge of worry shadowing his handsome face. “What if we don’t find her?”

“Then we’ll figure something out,” she sighed, quieter, matching his tone. She added, voice stern, “Because I definitely won’t be marring you as the Shu princess.”

Nikolai looked a little pained at that. His lips quirked into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I would never want you to.”

Zoya swallowed, tried not to feel offended by his words. _Good_ , it was good that he wouldn’t. It would be utterly crazy, not to mention quite unprofessional. It was good that he treated her with respect, that he didn’t expect anything from her, that he didn’t think she owed him something like many other men did. So why, then, did it sting so fucking much to hear him say that he would never want to marry her?

Zoya sighed, biting her tongue, and numbing her heart. If this cursed day would end already, she would very much appreciate it.


End file.
